My sweet little Emily (Birth story and NICU)

Today marks a week since my dear Emily was born. I went into labor at 33 weeks on Sun Sept 9th. They tried to stop it by giving me 3 shots of terbutaline and a shot of betamethasone to develop her lungs. The contractions got spread out but became normal again. The next morning I was dialted to 4 cm and contracting regular again. I got my second shot of betamethasone and was shipped to a hospital with a nicu about 2 hours away from home. I labored all night while they still tried everything to stop my labor. I had ketones in my urine so they kept pumping me with fluid thinking that would stop my labor. On Sept 11th they decided to take her by c-section my labor was not stopping I was 5-6 cm dialted and she was breach. Emily made her entrance into this world @ 1:53 weighing in at 5 lbs 4 oz. She was doing so good eating off the breast they discontinued her IV fluids and she only had to have oxygen for about 6 hours. Yesterday we had a horrible set back. An attending doctor wanted to supplement my breast feeding because her out put was 0.6 per hour and 1 is normal they have her a bottle and she aspirated. She has had lots of periods of apnea and her heart rate keeps dropping. She now has pneumonia and back on IV fluids and antibiotics. She hasn't had a feeding in 24 hours and is on a CPAP machine with a feeding tube to keep the air from "blowing" in her stomach. It kills me to see her struggle so much. She was doing soo good, life in the NICU is such a roller coaster. I keep reminding myself two steps forward and one back is still a step forward.

Quoting Kristina-wife-mom-friend-:" Today marks a week since my dear Emily was born. I went into labor at 33 weeks on Sun Sept 9th. They ... [snip!] ... life in the NICU is such a roller coaster. I keep reminding myself two steps forward and one back is still a step forward. "

Absolutely.
I'm so sorry you and your family are going through this. Stay positive and stay strong. My thoughts are with y'all.

Sorry you are going through this it has to be terrifying! Will keep you and your little one in my prayers.

Quoting Kristina-wife-mom-friend-:" Today marks a week since my dear Emily was born. I went into labor at 33 weeks on Sun Sept 9th. They ... [snip!] ... life in the NICU is such a roller coaster. I keep reminding myself two steps forward and one back is still a step forward. "

I'm sorry to hear your lo had a setback  

Having a baby in the NICU is a hard and sad road.
Did they have any explanation as to why she aspirated?
Its usually not too common with the NG tubes.

Please know that your baby is in the best place she can be right now and the NICU's can do so many wonderful things.

It is the most heartbreaking thing to look upon your child in those isolette's with all the tubes coming out and you just beat yourself up for not being able to carry your baby to term   (at least I did)

My son was a 33 weeker born at 4 pounds 6 ounces, and like you, we had one MAJOR setback that almost took his life  
thanks to some the wonderful medical staff at the other hospital we took him to, he is a healthy almost 4 year old.

The antibiotics should clear up the pneumonia quickly and she can just work on learning to take full feeds and keep her body temp.

I guess I cannot offer real advice, I just want you to know that I have been there too and I know how hard it is.
*hugs*

She aspirated on a bottle, at that time she did not have a ng tube. her feedings have been threw a tube for the last few days. she went and had an upper gi series this morning and all is perfectly fine with that. So tomorrow morning she will get to try the breast again. My supply is so low, I'm pumping every 2 hours during the day and every 3 at night and the most I get is 15 ml's. The average is about 10 ml's. I went to the dr today and got a prescription for reglan and doing some super pumping today to try and increase my supply. They have her getting about 25 ml's every 3 hours right now but want her up to 40 ml's every 3 hours. I feel like I have a long way to get there and without her on the breast I don't see it happening! please continue to keep us in your prayers!

wow. 5lbs at 33 weeks is a VERY healthy weight. you have that on your side. my preemie has almost the exact same story as yours. but he was 34 weeks 3lbs. apnea and aspiration they will grow out of eventually. mine is planned to stay on a feeding tube for a couple months more. but when my son aspirated it showed he had reflux and was aspirating on his refluxed formula so he was put on IV. he stayed in nicu for 3 months. we JUST got discharged. but he had to be apnea free, take all his feedings and gain weight properly before he got to go home.

I had GD so she was a little bigger for her gestational age. She has had no periods of apnea since they took her off the mouth feedings. All of her feeds are going threw a ng tube right now. They put her back to the breast today and she tolerated it well but she would suck a few times, swallow and then go back to sleep they want her to do a good feed with speech therapy there. So we will try again in the morning! We are so far ahead of where we were Monday but still have a long way to go. We have weined her off all IV fluids and tpn now to do some more mouth feeds while no apnea is what we have to work on!